Boss Gives Employees $7,500 for Vacations

Steve Mason/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Bart Lorang may be the best boss ever.

The CEO of Denver-based internet start-up FullContact API said in a market that is competitive for top talent, he wants to keep his employees happy and refreshed.

The flip-flop wearing founder offers his employees $7,500 for what he calls “paid, paid vacation,” however there are rules.

“One, you actually have to take a vacation to get the money,” Lorang said. “Two, you have to disconnect from work, so that means no calls, no emails, no tweets, no work of any kind.”

Even Lorang admitted he has trouble following his rules.

“I suck at it,” he said.

A picture of the CEO and his fiancee Sarah at Egypt’s great pyramids captured Lorang checking his email.

Not surprisingly, employees said they loved having the company pick up the tab for their vacations.

“It’s a real break for your brain,” said Robbie Jack, a FullContact API employee. “You come back refreshed and reinvigorated and more excited about the stuff you were working on when you left.”

If the idea of having a boss pick up the tab for a dream vacation is tantalizing, good news: Lorang is hiring.

“We’re probably going to hire about 12 folks in the next six months,” he said.

Tech companies have become known for their extravagant perks, and FullContact is no exception. Google offers on-site health care and pays for college degrees. At Facebook, employees with new arrivals get $4,000 in “baby cash.”